Will Ferrell smells good to Old Spice

Will Ferrell, one of the most tireless–some would say shameless–promoters on Hollywood’s A-list, stars in a series of jocular TV spots pitching Procter & Gamble’s newest addition to the Old Spice product line, Pro Strength antiperspirant. The spots help raise the profile of Farrell’s R-rated “Semi-Pro,” while reaching the young male consumers P&G covets.

The actor ad-libbed much of the material in the eight ads during a daylong shoot, signing off with such politically incorrect tag lines as “Don’t smell like a turtle cage” and “The finest street-legal antiperspirant you can get outside of Mexico that’s not poisonous.”

The campaign is the latest move aimed at reinvigorating the Old Spice brand. P&G has reached out to younger males with grass-roots marketing, replacing the clipper ship on the cologne bottle with a sleek racing yacht and adding product lines such as High Endurance and Red Zone. “What was a sleepy brand has become a fantastic growth story,” says
James Moorhead, Old Spice brand manager.